Samuel T. Philander

Samuel T. Philander is an antagonist in The Legend of Tarzan. He is Professor Archimedes' academic rival who frequently attempts to steal his ideas or garner fame by turning Tarzan in as the "missing link". He was voiced by Craig Ferguson.

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As mentioned before, Philander is an arrogant, rude, mean, cruel, careless, and selfish man and has a maddeningly superior attitude. He behaves like he is the better scientist than Professor Porter when he clearly is not. He also seems to be a bit paranoid, as evidenced by his misguided belief that Porter had not returned from Africa because of a new discovery he made.

He first appears in this episode where he was once again raiding Archimedes' stuff in Archimedes office, before deciding to visit him in Africa. They come face-to-face when Porter, Jane, Tarzan and Terk were chasing a butterfly, but Philander beats them to it. Archimedes was less than pleased to see him again and while at the tree-house he goes on about Philander taking credit for Porter finding a T.Rex femur. Samuel meanwhile was spying on them from the ground, getting briefly interrupted by Manu mimicking them, but he promptly shoed the baboon away only for Manu to take his camera and take pictures of himself with it, all the while Philander and his two accomplices do not notice even when flashes of the camera's light could be seen through the bush it was in. Eventually the camera ran out of film and Manu tossed it away where it landed back in its bag looking as though it never left, at the same time Philander saw that the three main-characters were setting out and he fallows them to the gateway to Pellucidar. Once Tantor and Terk who were standing guard left (mainly because Terk had pulled a prank on Tantor by sticking two bananas in her mouth to look like saber-teeth), Samuel descends down Archimedes' rope into the underground world, much to the threesome's annoyance, Jane lectured him for his thievery until they got interrupted by a pair of Velociraptors. Even while in a life-and-death situation Philander continued to plunder Porters's work, such as suspecting that Velociraptors hunt in packs and methane-geysers existing in primordial-worlds, even denying that Porter owned any theories of either even though it was true. He also bragged about having evidence of a living Triceratops after taking a picture of it (though he didn't yet know that his camera was filmless thanks to Manu). He also tried kidnapping an egg, but was stopped by Jane and Tarzan (ironically Archimedes took an egg instead, he and the others unaware that it was a Tyrannosaurus egg and when the mother found out she went after them). He also asked if he could kidnap an Ornithischian for himself but was denied and questioned by Jane if there wasn't anything bad enough that Philander would go so far in, to which Philander admitted that he didn't know of any. He was the first to notice something off about Porter's backpack and upon reaching in got bitten by a newly hatched T.Rex. He also doubted that the mother would forgive them even if they returned her baby. Once Tarzan draws the mother away the rest make a brake for it for the rope leading back to the surface, Philander was the first to reach it and was intending to take the baby tyrannosaur, even trying to persuade Porter to join but leave Jane and Tarzan for dead (the latter of which was trapped under a tree-branch thrown by the mother dinosaur), but Archimedes who was nothing like Samuel chose instead to return the mother's baby. Ironically enough Philander turned out to be right in his assumption that the mother T.Rex would still hold a grudge even after getting her baby back and leaves them for dead himself. Even while believing that Porter was now dead Philander still doesn't want to garner success through honesty or compassion as he intended to pilfer from someone else. To his surprise Jane, Archimedes and Tarzan return alive, though he wasn't too disappointed as he yet again robs Porter's place in the spotlight (though Porter lets it slide this time), but upon looking through his photos back at the academy in London he finally finds Manu's involvement with his camera (and no photos with dinosaurs in them), turning him into a laughing stock.

He returns in the midst of this episode hoping to once again rob from Archimedes to make up for his failed attempt at revealing the surviving-dinosaur remnants. One of his minions brake into Porter's tent in the middle of the night and snatches his collection of photos. Philander was most intrigued by the Mangani the silver ape who treat the wounded and sick with a supernatural ability. Porter and Tarzan catch him red-handed but weren't able to stop him. During the hunt for the Mangani Philander grew annoyed at one of his henchmen constantly calling it a monkey. He eventually succeeded in catching the silver ape but was hypnotized into releasing him and would've if it weren't for his henchman calling it a monkey again. Philander then loaded the mystical-gorilla onto a ship intending to bring it back to England, however Tarzan and Archimedes find them and sneak aboard, where Philander eventually found out about their arrival; his men apprehend Archimedes while Philander dealt with Tarzan by cutting the rope Tarzan was climbing down on, dropping him into the hold right next to the Mangani, unconscious and severely hurt but alive, though Samuel had no interest in tending Tarzan or even letting the professor do it as Philander intended to set Porter adrift in a dingy tied-up and toss Tarzan overboard (believing that he died), however Tarzan had been restored to full health thanks to the Mangani and after freeing Porter both free the Mangani. Philander returns back to England without proof again, and was in trouble with a trio of what look like landlords. Philander had dressed up one of his minions as the Mangani in an attempt to appease them, but they weren't fooled and Philander was left begging for mercy.

In this episode he was reduced to poverty and was in debt to two muscular thugs who threatened to hurt or maybe even murder him if he doesn't have the money he owes them. He does however manage to persuade them to aid in his plan to capture Tarzan which he believes to be a "missing link", while searching they see Archimedes dressed in a loincloth and the thugs mistake him for Tarzan, to which Philander decided to take advantage of to get off the hook. It worked for a while but the thugs eventually saw the ruse and attempted to throw them both into a ravine, but get interrupted by Tarzan who was currently in a brawl with the rogue elephant Mabaya and the two thugs turn their sights on Tarzan, though nevertheless throw Archimedes and Philander into the gorge where they get tangled in some vines. Fortunately Jane, Terk and Tantor pull them up only to scowl at him right after. He also berates Archimedes that he's unfit for living in the jungle. After Mabaya set his sights on the thugs and began chasing them Philander remarked he was still in debt to them and that they may not be so keen to give him another chance (assuming Mabaya hadn't killed them first).

His humiliations reduced him to living in a ratty apartment in Chicago and constantly ducking the Landlord when he was visited by Edgar Rice Burroughs wanting to know what he knew about Tarzan. Edgar later remarks that he owes him an apology for doubting about the surviving dinosaurs of Pellucidar, especially after being confirmed by Tarzan that it wasn't a lie.